None of this sits well with 49ers fans, but the week's juiciest story might ultimately help Harbaugh land the contract he wants in San Francisco. As for the Browns, they seem enthused about the early returns on new coach Mike Pettine:

The ATL crew and @RapSheet ran into Jimmy Haslam at Combine. Browns owner on Harbaugh story: We have a great coach.

Arians later told me that he would consider it a waste to draft a young signal-caller right now, saying "I don't think quarterbacks learn anything holding clipboards." Besides, the coach sounded perfectly content with Drew Stanton as the backup.

Palmer was far from perfect last season, but he improved down the stretch and remains firmly entrenched as the starter heading into Year Two of the Arians regime.

Steve Smith's mysterious future

It's strange to imagine the Panthers without Steve Smith, but both general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Ron Rivera hinted that the 34-year-old receiver is no sure bet to return to Carolina next season.

When I asked Rivera if he could imagine a scenario in which Smith wouldn't be on the roster come September, the coach told me: "Not quite sure."

Our takeaway is that Carolina -- described repeatedly by Gettleman as "cap-strapped" -- is going to ask the wideout to consider a pay cut. If Smith's unwilling to budge on his $4 million guaranteed salary and $3 million bonus, it's conceivable that May's draft will be used to add talent at the position. Rivera cited the receiver slot as one of the draft's deepest pools of talent.

Our guess? Smith and the team still find a way to make this work.

Cortland Finnegan staying put

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